Dinner Wars
Eli has invoked the nuclear option and refused his macaroni and cheese for dinner. It's clear that the battle over consumption has more to do with wills and less to do with taste. He's not eating veggies, and he's not eating his dinners, and we've started to enforce 'consequences'. No TV if he doesn't at least eat some of his vegetables, and if he doesn't eat his dinner, he goes straight to bed. I have no idea if this is going to work in the long run, but the kid is totally pushing our buttons here, and we have to be firm in our resolve but not react to his prodding. I personally have found this a difficult battle, but I'm coming around to being able to detatch myself from the conflict.
Mostly, I dont' get it -- as a kid (and an adult) I have loved food of all types and kinds. But this kid -- well, if he never had to eat again, I truly believe he wouldn't. I suppose it's good he's not food fixated, as he stands a chance to avoid the weight problems I have struggled with my entire life. However, he needs the fuel to grow body and mind, and I don't him to miss out on these formative years in terms of nutrients. So, it's consequence time, and eventually he's gonna get it, or he's going to lead a very boring drab life :).
And you know, if this is the worst that he can bring to the table, we really have to consider ourselves very fortunate parents.
Heh. (1) It's probably not the worst he can bring. At least, not from what I hear from other parents. (2) Sounds like you have things handled pretty well. Except maybe for the bed thing, but each situation is different. Heather and I really try not to use "going to bed" as a punishment (even though it's SOOO damn handy, ain't it?) because they already hate it, so making it something even worse can really make things a trial at normal bedtimes. TV's good, we use that frequently as a pulled priviledge. Boy, just can't wait until Ella and Ava reach Eli's food stage. Both of them are like him, beanpoles who show very little interest in food. Whoo-hoo!